Anina
by we-all-carry-anchors
Summary: For over 2000 years Anna has been living in a lie. Guarding her secret with a spell bound with Petrova blood. But with the unexpected death of Elena Gilbert breaking Anna's spell and unleashing her greatest secret she must travel to Mystic Falls; confront old friends, face new demons, and fall for 2 original brothers. All while trying to figure out who she is: Anna or Anina?
1. Prologue

I felt it. I felt it. A knot forms in my stomach. _No, this wasn't supposed to happen, this was never supposed to happen. _I am suddenly writhing on the floor screaming in agony. I feel the power, seeping into my veins once again_ the power that I sealed with a spell so many years ago. _But I know fully well what had happened, I knew this was going to happen; Elena Gilbert was dead. And her death unsealed my most powerful spell, and my greatest secret.

_FLASHBACK_

"Anina my love, you look ill". I smiled to myself, even when he needed to be somewhere urgently he found time to care. I sometimes asked myself how I, of all the beautiful girls in the village Silas had taken a liking to me. Not that I was complaining. "Silas I'm fine, just a bit tired is all. You should go, Qetsiyah seemed quite urgent when she told you to meet her". I tried to hide the annoyance in my voice; Qetsiyah had needed to meet Silas quite a bit lately, always finding an excuse to leave me out of things despite the fact that I too, am a very powerful witch. "You look a lot worse than just tired Anina. Drink this elixir, it will make you feel better I promise" He handed me a vial of red liquid. "Silas I'm fine, honestly". "I won't take no for an answer, drink it". He said it more forcefully this time. I knew better than to argue so I simply scowled at him and gulped the disgusting liquid down. He smiled at me, it was a strange smile. It was as if he knew something I didn't Before I could ask about the odd gaze he turned on his heel and bid me farewell, promising to see me later tonight. I shrugged and walked back into the hut to tend to my duties.

_Strange _I thought to myself. It was now dawn and neither Silas nor Qetsiyah had returned. I had already tried a locator spell, but something kept interfering with it. _That settles it; I'm going to go looking for them. _I don't make it very far, as I see Qetsiyah approach. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see her. I'm so happy that I actually run up to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Where on earth have you been?" she doesn't answer, I stare at her, the cold in her eyes sends an uncomfortable jolt through my body. I can sense a negative aura, something bad has happened. "Where is Silas? What happened?" Still no answer, "Qetsiyah what happened?!" I say desperately. Suddenly I feel a sharp pain in my chest, clenching my fists in pain as I collapse onto the ground. Tears blur my vision, the pain worsens. "What are you doing?!" I screech "Qetsiyah stop!" But she doesn't, she doesn't stop. I feel like I'm falling, the pain begins to numb, and suddenly I feel nothing. And I know, I know I have died, I know Qetsiyah has killed me. And I only have one word running through my mind: _Why? _


	2. Chapter 1

I wake up gasping. I couldn't count the number of times I've relived that. The last day I had really and truly lived, the last day my heart beat had meant something, the last day I had been pure and innocent. The last day I had been a human.

That day is long past me now, Anina is dead. I now go by Anna.

_FLASHBACK_

I wake to the smell of fresh dirt filling my nostrils _she buried me, Qetsiyah buried me. _She killed me. She killed me and buried me. I'm supposed to be dead. _What is going on? _Then I smell something, something delicious. My mouth watering. I begin digging my way upward, _this is strange _I was seeing more, hearing more. This was far from normal. I finally make my way to the surface _that didn't take very long at all_. And sniff again, my eyes widen when I realize what smelled so good, a little girl playing in the meadows. But I'm not thinking about that, all I can hear is that sweet liquid pumping through her veins _blood. _Blood, I am thinking about blood. It hits me all at once; the vial of red liquid Silas had made me gulp down. The frequent meetings with Qetsiyah, his constant talk and desire of immortality – which I hadn't taken seriously. _They did this to me _I fall to my knees and drop my head into my hands and let the tears flow, sobs rack my body. This was grief like I had never felt before _"everything will be heightened" _I had heard Qetsiyah say to Silas when I'd overheard a conversation. He knew I didn't want this, I had told him. The one thing I never wanted to be and he did it anyways. I didn't think it was possible to stop loving someone fully – I always thought there would always be that part of you that couldn't ever really stop. I realize I was wrong, _I hate him _I hated him so much. I wanted to tear him limb from limb, I wanted to make him suffer. In my mess of sobs I didn't realize the young girl had stopped playing and was standing in front of me, worry present on her face "Are you alright?" "Stay away from me!" I screeched. I knew I couldn't take it anymore; I was going to give in. _But you can't, no, you most certainly cannot. She's a little girl Anina; you would never harm a little girl. _But all sense of right and wrong abandoned me, veins formed under my eyes, my teeth elongated into fangs. I didn't think twice before zipping towards her with my new found speed and plunging my teeth into her neck as she let out a blood curdling scream. I feed, I feed until I suddenly snapped back to reality and realized what I'm doing _Anina stop! _I quickly remove my teeth and back away, my heart beating a mile a minute. _I fed from her, I hurt her, I gave in. _I'm shaking, tears threatening to take over again. _Focus! _There has to be a way to fix this. _What if... _it's naive, it's a pathetic excuse for a plan. And I know it probably won't work, my witchcraft was sacrificed when I became immortal. Those 2 elements do not coincide, but I decide to try anyway, what other option do I have? My eyes widen as I begin reciting a simple healing spell _its working! _A lot faster than it usually does for that matter. She is still unconscious and I think it would be better if she wakes up and thinks this was all a dream. I quickly speed off feeling a little better, I may be immortal, but at least I'm still a witch.

I arrive back at my hut, _what do I do now? _I know next to nothing about my newfound immortality, I still have my witch powers, and I'm supposed to be dead. _The answer is quite obvious, _I have to leave. I have to leave and never come back. Tears stream down my face. I grew up here, fell in love with Silas here, and learned everything I know about witchcraft here. I know of nowhere else. _But I do have eternity, I can always come back. _I also have no choice; I quickly gather up my most precious belongings and speed off.

I don't look back.


	3. Chapter 2

I never did look back after that day. I drifted around, going to different cities, meeting different people, making allies along the way. Life wasn't too bad. Though I never told anyone of my witchcraft and killed off any witches that figured it out – "a small price to pay for such a big secret" is how I justified taking the lives of innocents. I particularly remember a young witch, Ketina I think her name was. She was the first witch I'd met who figured it out. I still remember her screams, promising not to tell anyone if I spared her life. I'd laughed in her face before snapping her neck. I became cold and ruthless, to some extent heartless. I know somewhere deep inside me I'm still that girl, that girl who loved and cared and valued. But if I saw her I wouldn't recognize her.

I sometimes wonder what my old self would think of me now. I try not to imagine the look of disgust she would give me. But I knew in the end it didn't matter - I was no longer Anina, the sweet loving witch who handed out treats to young children in the village. I was Anna - the cold-blooded monster who had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. At least that's what my closest friends the Mikaelsons and everyone else in the supernatural world thought, everyone except my best friend Katerina Petrova. Most people hated her, called her a selfish, egotistical bitch. But Kat was more than that, she is so much more than that. I had befriended Katerina when I'd been in England with Elijah and Klaus while Kol and Rebekah were causing havoc in Asia. I had desperately wanted to go with them, but I needed to keep a low profile as I prepared to do a very powerful spell. Looking back on it now I'm happy I didn't go. Of course I'd done nothing to save her from being sacrificed in Nik's ritual, but it didn't matter how fond I'd grown of her, I always looked out for myself and interfering with the ritual would have been suicide. So I'd gotten Trevor to do it instead, which of course cost him and Rose a life of running, hiding and fear. But then again, better them than me. Me and Kat had come up with that line, it defines our relationship quite well. We look out for each other of course, but in the end saving our own skin takes priority. Though I didn't help her escape initially, I'm responsible for helping Kat run all those years. Pulling up every and any ally I could, using all my resources to make sure Nik never found her, betraying him – hence my mysterious disappearance there was no way in hell he would forgive me. But I never failed Katerina and she never failed me. Hell the girl stuck by my side for over a century helping me figure out how to perform a spell – a spell that would lock away my witch side.

Locking away my witch side was something that had taken time and patience. For over a century me and Katerina had poured over thousands of grimoires working out exactly what I'd need to do to lock away my magical side while simultaneously keeping my vampire side prominent and undisturbed. Being a witch-vampire hybrid technically makes me the most powerful creature on the planet, but unlike Niklaus I would rather not own that title. I don't enjoy being a walking target – hence the reason I opted to hide the witch and just be a vampire, an ordinary bloodsucking monster. We eventually worked out the spell I would need to perform, the only problem was it wouldn't be permanent.

_FLASHBACK_

"The spell requires a continuous draining of your power Anna, you can't keep draining yourself forever" Katerina was really annoyed and exasperated, she was trying to hide it, but I could tell. I didn't blame her of course, we've been working on this for over a century. Any sane person would be losing it at this point. "Well then, we need to seal the spell with something". "Will Petrova blood work?" I could see the desperation in her eyes, she was beyond done with this. "That's on the list of possible sealers, but where on earth are we going to get human Petrova blood from? The bloodline died off with you Kat" she smirked."On the contrary my dear friend, it didn't".

We managed to track down Katerina's incredibly great-granddaughter in a matter of days, took her blood while she was sleeping and left.

But before we did I caught Kat gazing at her with glassy eyes

_FLASHBACK_

"She looks like my mama", she whispered as we walked outside the house, back towards the fields from where we'd come. I looked over at Katerina, she had begun shaking. "Are you okay?" I asked gently "Yeah, yeah I'm fine it's just-" I could see tears filling her eyes, threatening to pour over. I quickly sped over, wrapping my friend in a tight embrace as she sobbed into my shoulder.

That had been the first and last time I'd ever witnessed Katerina Petrova break.

The spell was to be undone with the death of the next Petrova doppelgänger unfortunately Elena Gilbert's death couldn't have come at a worse time. I'm completely unprepared to perform the spell again. It has a large extent of requirements which can take years to fulfill. I wasn't expecting Elena to die, what with her Salvatore pets protecting her like she was the Hope diamond. But then again, they're both lovesick fools. And if there's one thing I've learned about love is that it destroys, it morphs your thinking, takes away all sense of logic. It's almost like blood lust in that sense.

_What the hell am I supposed to do now? _

But I know, I know the one thing I can do. I pick up the phone and dial a number, a number I haven't dialed in a very long time

"Hello?" I smile, she sounds just as smug as she did all those years ago.

"Hey Katerina, long time no talk"


	4. Chapter 3

"Anna" I could sense the smile playing on her lips. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Elena Gilbert is dead" I said simply.

I could hear Kat groan

"I know, and your little spell broke and you're now witchy-vamp hybrid. Correct?"

"Yeah, unfortunately"

"I honestly don't understand why you're so worried, it's not like you can be killed"

"I don't want the attention"

I could hear her laugh

"So you're telling me I spent a century and a half being your personal assistant just so you wouldn't have to deal with some supernatural paparazzi?"

I laugh; _this is why you're my best friend _

"Obviously"

"Alright Anna, I know you didn't call to do small – talk, what's up?"

"I need to talk to you"

"Is that not what we're doing? Damn, you've gotten slower than I remember you being"

I rolled my eyes

"You know what I mean Kat; I need to legitimately talk to you. Like face-to-face serious stuff"

"Well, that doesn't sound the least bit exciting"

"When am I ever exciting in your opinion?"

"Good point, where are you staying?"

"New York, the old Manhattan place"

Kat sighed

"Ah, our 70's days"

I smile at the thought, it was one of the last times me and Katerina had spent time together before going our separate ways. Eternity is a long time, even best friends need a break from each other every once in a while.

"How soon can you be here?"

"As soon as I want to be" I heard her laugh

I sighed, typical.

"All right, just be here as soon as you can, your foggy answers annoy me"

"That's the point sweet heart; see you in a few hours"

"See you"

I smiled, it would be nice seeing Kat again after all these years. I needed to talk to somebody, and in all these years she was the only person I really and truly trusted.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. I had trusted Elijah, Nik, Rebekah and Kol. But they had family loyalties to uphold. I did care about them though, Rebekah had been my best friend and Elijah had been like the brother I'd never had. But things change and life takes you in different directions.

I don't even know if any of them miss me or think about me, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't Hell I wouldn't be surprised if they hate me. I left them, just like their parents had left them all those years ago.

I was so deep in thought; I didn't notice the insistent banging on my apartment door. I walk over and open it, only to be greeted by a mass of brown curls and an annoyed scowl

"Took you long enough"

"Yeah, sorry, got lost in thought"

Katerina smirked

"That's not the only thing you're lost in"

"Shut up"

She throws her hands up in the air with mock seriousness

"Just doing my job, as your best friend _and chief adviser_" she adds with a hint of melodrama

I laugh and pull her into a hug

"It's good to see you again Kat"

She hugs me back, giving me a genuine smile – no smirk present, as we pull away

We have our moments.

Though, they don't last more than 5 seconds.

"All right Anna, now can you tell me what's up? I've been _dying_ to know"

"Your sense of humour is horrendous"

"At least it exists"

I sigh

"All right, well, I need advice"

I see her eyes widen in surprise for a split second, before regaining her composure and continuing

"Now, why don't you tell me what alternate universe we're in?"

"What makes you think it's alternate?"

"Oh nothing, only because the all-knowing, all-wise super power hybrid with an ego the size of Russia..."

I cut her off

"Major exaggeration"

She rolls her eyes

"My point being, you _never _ask for advice. Now I'm legitimately curious. What the hell is up?"

"I want to go to Mystic Falls"

Kat doesn't even bother hiding her surprise, her jaw drops and her eyes widen

"Do you mind me asking _what exactly _sparked this idiotic and suicidal plan?"

"I'm tired of running, Katerina they're trying to raise…" I intake a sharp breath "they're trying to raise…"

"He who shall not be named?" I appreciate her attempt to lighten the mood

"Your sense of humour is still horrendous" I manage a weak smile

"At least it made you feel better" she smiles, but her eyes are full of concern

"And it technically isn't suicidal, considering the fact that nothing can really kill me"

"I didn't mean suicidal for _you, _narcissistic idiot"

"I feel the love"

"I meant suicidal for _me"_

Now it's my turn to be surprised

"What gave you the impression you would be accompanying me again?"

"I'm not about to let you do this alone"

"Please, you're not that loyal. The real reason please"

She sighs

"You know this whole being able to read me is annoying"

I grin

"What are best friends for? Now, why do you wanna come with me?"

"Protection, if Klaus sees you're the one who helped me run, if he sees I hold value to you he'll stop making my life a living hell. He always had a soft spot for you, no matter how much he might deny it"

"That was over 300 years ago Kat"

She groans

"I have to try; I have to try anything Anna. You think you're tired of running? What about me?"

I see desperation in her eyes, desperation and pain and want. A want to be free, to move on, and leave the past behind her. Something Katerina has never truly been able to do for all these years. What with Klaus always on her tail, I understand, I understand completely of course I do.

"It's settled then, we're leaving tomorrow"

"Anna, are you 100% sure? There's no going back"

I look up at her; I see the uncertainty, the hesitation.

"I'm sure" I smile at her "Want a blood bag?"

Her face changes, the smirk is back

"I'd love one"


	5. Chapter 4

**Thank you all so much for the favorites and follows! It means a lot :)**

**I know the story is starting off a little slow, but it'll get more exciting soon I promise!**

"Wherever you go just always remember, that you got a home for now and forever, and if you get low just call me whenever."

"THIS IS MY OATH TO YOU!"

Me and Kat have been in the car for the past hour on our way to Mystic falls, and I'm starting to wonder if this was such a good idea. Katerina seems to sense my nervousness and turns the music down.

"Are you ok?"

Her voice snaps me out of my thoughts

"What-? Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just a bit nervous"

"Nerves are good"

She tries to reassure me, I appreciate it; giving her a small smile. Even though I know she's mainly going through with this in the hopes that Klaus will finally leave her alone. But I don't mind, I'm not thinking much about Katerina's freedom at the moment, if I'm being honest.

"I guess" is all I manage to say

She smiles before turning the radio up once again; we drive the rest of the way without speaking with One Direction playing in the background.

We arrive at a motel on the outskirts of Mystic Falls; we've decided it would be better if Kat went into town first for a couple of days, to get a grasp on the situation and where everyone stands in this pointless quest for the cure. If there's one thing Katerina is fantastic at, it's observation.

"You'll finally make your grand entrance into town and we'll go from there"

She says as we go over our plan one last time

"And you'll be reporting back to me on what's happening _daily_, I'm not sitting like some clueless idiot in a motel room for a week. Now get going, the sooner we get this plan in motion the better"

"Don't have to tell me twice, this room stinks, like literally stinks"

I groan

"Don't make me dread these next few days of torture more than I already am, now get out!"

She grabs a blood bag before making her way to the door

"Oh and Anna" she says on her way out

"What?"

She smiles at me

"Take care of yourself, and don't do anything stupid"

I smirk

"I'm not promising anything"

She rolls her eyes before closing the door and taking off

I flop onto the bed with a sigh; these next few days are going to be awful and painfully boring. I take a whiff of the bed sheets and scrunch up my nose, Kat was right, this room literally _stinks _

_7 DAYS LATER _

The week had gone by painfully slow, I didn't sleep at all. And it didn't help that Kat's updates made me want to speed over there and slice Elena and her stupid friend's throats open. Even though I'd never even talked to Elena, from what I've observed and what Kat's told me she's a hypocritical twat.

Nik has absolutely lost it, why on earth would he need hybrids when he's got his family? Who love him and care for him. I roll my eyes, typical Niklaus; failing to think he's good enough to be cared about. But Mikael's attitude hadn't helped. I'd kill him, but I heard Nik had already taken care of that.

Getting Nik to come around wouldn't be too difficult; he really wasn't as horrible as everyone in Mystic Falls has made him out to be. He was just lonely, from what Kat's been telling me the family had completely fallen apart after I left. It broke my heart _but you can fix that, you can fix all of this _I laugh, I'm being far too naive But walking into this situation optimistic is probably a better idea, considering the fact that I'm going to be facing 4 originals as well as Elena and her annoying crew in 2 hours.

Katerina had convinced them all to meet her in the woods, claiming she had a solution to their problems. Granted Kat had stretched the truth big time; according to her "it's the only way I was going to get them to show up, it won't matter anyways".

I take a deep breath, my nerves dangerously high as I check myself over in the mirror once more. Fixing my hair for the thousandth time and tossing my black leather jacket on. I wait anxiously on the bed with my bag packed and ready, Kat should be here any minute.

Sure enough I hear footsteps approaching and the door room flies open. I stand and grab my bag as Kat gives my outfit a quick look, from head to toe.

"You look great"

"Thanks" I try to stop my voice from shaking, failing miserably

"Hey" she puts a hand on my shoulder "It'll be alright"

I nod, pulling my combat boots on as we leave the stinky motel room

Before I know it we're here, at the edge of the woods. No one else is here yet. Granted, there's still half and hour until everyone is supposed to arrive. We spend 20 minutes looking for the perfect hiding spot for me. It's crucial that I'm not seen until Kat finishes her speech. We finally find one, behind an exceptionally thick tree trunk. But just to be safe, I cast an invisibility spell on myself. Not forgetting to take away the magical aura, so that the Bennett witch won't sense it.

I've been standing here, still as a statue for about 5 minutes now. My heart would be beating out of my chest if I hadn't cast a calming charm on myself. My heart beat and nervousness would be a dead giveaway.

We've taken every precaution, done everything that needs to be done. All that's left to do is wait.

And I do, I wait another 5 minutes, and then I see it. The first set of figures approaching. Kat looks at me for a split second – an indication; that I need to be completely silent from this point forward.

I wouldn't be able to be anything more, considering the fact that my heart has miraculously leapt into my throat.


	6. Chapter 5

Before I know it, everyone is here.

Kat speaks up

"Thank you all for coming"

Niklaus scoffs

"Now, Katerina sweetheart, give me _one _good reason as to why I shouldn't rip your heart out"

I can hear Kat's heart skip a beat

"Because…" her voice shakes slightly "if you do that, you won't get to hear what I've got to say"

Now it's the older Salvatore's turn to scoff

"And what manipulative manuscript are you going to be reciting tonight Katherine? Is it followed by seducing one of us? But that would be getting a bit old, even for you"

There's a quite giggle throughout the crowd while the raven haired vamp smirks

My blood is boiling, how _dare _he talk to Kat like that?

I can tell it's angered her, but Katerina just smirks. Hiding her anger flawlessly as only she is capable of doing

"Very funny Damon, but no, sadly my plans for tonight aren't that exciting"

_So that's what his name is _I think to myself _that means the boy on the other side of Elena is Stefan _– who according to Kat, is the better of the 2 brothers.

Elena speaks up

"Then what are your _unexciting _plans for tonight Katherine?"

"I'm here to talk about the one thing you're all after, the cure"

A young blonde vampire comes forward

"What exactly do you have to say about it Katherine? Do you know anything we don't?"

She sounds annoyed and impatient _Caroline I'm guessing _

"In fact I do Caroline"

_Hah, I was right _

Everyone's attention is caught at this point. And Katerina begins her well practiced speech, a speech we went over for 3 hours yesterday

"As you all know, there is a cure. A cure for immortality, that Qetsiyah buried with Silas many years ago."

The Bennet witch interjects

"We already know that"

Kat narrows her eyes

"Can I finish Bonnie? Or are you going to continue interrupting me every sentence?"

I smirk, _don't test Katerina Petrova's patience little witch _

The girl – Bonnie, rolls her eyes, but doesn't say anything

"Anyways, the cure was buried with Silas; now to get to the cure you are going to have to raise Silas, correct?"

Everyone nods their heads in unison

"Now, that's where the problem lies. There's a reason he's been buried all these years, because if he's risen he'll raise a-

"Living hell"

Everyone's heads turn towards Kol, who just finished Kat's sentence

"He'll raise a living hell" Kol's eyes widen with realization "I used to run with some witches, they told me about this"

"So what?" Damon interjects

"A couple of scary stories were whispered around witchy campfires. It doesn't mean it's true. Why should we take your word for it Katherine? Because if I'm not mistaken, your word isn't one to be taken"

There are mutters of agreement throughout the crowd

I scoff silently at their ignorance

"Dare I say it, but I agree with the Salvatore" Rebekah mutters "Silas was a scary story made up to make children eat there vegetables, he's a myth and nothing more"

More mutters of agreement

Kat sighs

"Fine, don't take my word for it"

They all begin to leave, everyone except Niklaus

"Now Katerina, I heard what you had to say, it wasn't very useful. And it certainly wasn't good enough a reason to spare your life."

His hands snake around her throat, my eyes widen. This wasn't part of the plan.

The plan has fallen apart

Klaus is going to kill my best friend

I have to do something

I take a deep breath, regaining my composure; hiding my panic with a smirk.

I step out of my hiding place, undoing my invisibility spell

"Let her go Niklaus"

Everyone turns around

Nik looks at me, shock present on his face as he lets Kat go, she speeds her way over; standing beside me

Klaus, Kol, Rebekah, and Elijah are staring at me, their mouths hanging open

Elena and her crew have their eyes narrowed in curiosity

Rebekah is the first to speak, though, I don't know if I'd consider it speaking. It was more of a squeaking

"A-Anna?" she's still in shock

I smile

"You know, my name wasn't always Anna. That's the refined version of the original Aramaic name, my real name" I take a deep breath "Anina"


	7. Chapter 6

Rebekah and her brothers are still in a state of shock

Damon, of course, speaks up

"Look I don't know why the Mikaelsons have suddenly misplaced their tongues, but who are you? And if you knew Silas, how the hell are you still here?"

I take a deep breath

"I'm warning you now; it's quite a long story"

Everyone nods; eager for me to continue

"I was born in the 1st century, BC"

Everyone's eyes widen, aside from Damon. He just looks bored and sceptical

"I was a very powerful witch; I was close with both Silas and Qetsiyah. I knew them well"

The Bennet witch gasps; I can tell she's put the pieces of the puzzle together

"Bonnie what's wrong?" Stefan asks, looking concerned

"You're Anina, the powerful witch Anina, you were Silas'-

"His lover" I finish her sentence

Even Damon looks shocked at this point

Bonnie opens her mouth to say something; I know what's coming next

"Shane told me about you, Qetsiyah killed you. You're supposed to be dead."

I smile

"Quite the plot twist isn't it?"

"How are you still alive?" Caroline inquires

"It's quite simple really. The day Silas was imprisoned, before he went to see Qetsiyah he came to me. I'd been feeling under the weather that day. He told me to drink an elixir; he said it would make me feel better. He wouldn't leave until I gulped the whole thing down. Little did I know it was actually a potion laced with his blood, the potion for immortality. After Qetsiyah killed me, I came back."

"That explains a lot" says Damon "But what it doesn't explain, is how the hell as a _vampire_ you're able to use witchy ju ju. You obviously used a spell for invisibility to hide yourself. Care to explain that?"

I smile

"That, my dear Salvatore; is the biggest plot twist of them all"

Everyone is staring me intently at this point

"I'm not a typical vampire, I'm a hybrid"

Niklaus' eyes widen, I smirk

"Part vampire, part witch"

Suddenly my body is being slammed into the tree trunk that had concealed me only about 10 minutes ago. 10 minutes ago this was my greatest secret, 10 minutes ago I was shielded.

Nik has me pressed against it

"That's not possible!"

I stare at him intently, his grip loosens as he clutches his skull in pain. Everyone's mouths are hanging open at this point, even Kat's

My face changes; veins form under my eyes, my teeth turn into fangs.

"Anything is possible" I say, my voice grim

There is pin drop silence.

Elijah speaks up

"How did you hide it?" he asks gently "how on earth did you hide it all those years?"

My face changes back to normal, I stare at him for a second

"Ever wonder why I mysteriously disappeared?"

" I've wondered for many years now"

I sigh

"I left because, I'm responsible for getting Trevor to help Katerina escape. I am responsible for helping her run and hide all these years. It was due to my allies and resources and magic that Katerina was never found by any of you. I betrayed you, I betrayed you to help my best friend"

Nik is shaking in fury, my heart skips a beat

"That's not the only reason I left" I add quickly, seeing that he's about to lose it

"Why else did you leave?" Elijah encourages me gently

"I needed to prepare, I needed to prepare to perform an extremely powerful spell"

"And what exactly was this spell?" Niklaus asks, his voice is dangerously low

My voice shakes slightly, though not out of fear

"A spell to lock away my witch side"

Elijah's eyes widen, he wasn't expecting an answer like that

"Why would you need to do that?" Elijah asks, his eyes narrowing slightly

"Being a witch-vampire hybrid makes me the most powerful creature on this planet, even more powerful than you Niklaus. But unlike you I didn't enjoy the title and I didn't enjoy the power that consumed me day in and day out. After I helped Katerina run, we spent a century and a half reading through thousands of grimoires, figuring out exactly what I needed to do to perform the spell."

I take deep breath before continuing

"The only problem was the spell couldn't be permanent, because it requires a constant draining of energy and power. So we had to seal it with something. We sealed it with Petrova blood, that's when I found out the bloodline hadn't died out with Katerina."

I hear a simultaneous groan come from Elena and her friends

"The spell was to break with the death of the next Petrova doppelgänger. And Elena is now a vampire. The spell has broken, I'm a hybrid again."

And my body is being crashed into the tree trunk _again_, this time, my face is tickled with blonde curls

"I can't believe you!" Rebekah screeches, tears pouring down her face "You were the one thing keeping our family together! After you left, we were torn apart again. You were our rock Anna! You were our bloody rock!"

My eyes widen, this wasn't anything like the reaction I was expecting. Rebekah continues, failing to care about the fact that she's crying – showing vulnerability in front of everyone.

"When me and Kol came back, and Elijah and Nik told us you'd disappeared do you know what I did?"

"What did you do?" it comes out a whisper

"I looked for you! I looked for you for 25 years! I needed you! You were my best friend! You were the one thing keeping me sane in the mess of brothers I was stuck with! And you decided to run off! I thought you were dead!"

She's now shaking uncontrollably, and I'm frozen; stiff as a statue.

Elijah gently pulls Rebekah off of me and she walks off, probably going deeper into the woods so she can let it all out without everyone watching her.

I take a deep breath, regaining my composure before continuing

"I know you're all trying to raise Silas, in hopes of getting the cure. The reason I came here and spilled my guts out was so that you would stop. Stop this stupid quest, because I'm telling you now; it won't be worth it. I knew Qetsiyah, she was cunning and smart. She always had the upper hand in everything she did"

"She didn't have the upper hand when it came to killing you" Elena interjects

I sigh

"Oh but she did, she knew I would rather die than be an immortal. She knew I'd taken the potion, she's the one who told Silas to give it to me"

I continue

"My point being, that cure probably has some sort of catch or condition that won't be worth raising Silas to get. You're forgetting that I knew him, even better than I knew Qetsiyah. He _will _raise a living a hell. Silas was ruthless in whatever he did. He was controlling and unstable. I didn't see him for who he really was because he manipulated me. He made me think he was doing these things out of love for me."

There's silence as they consider my words for a second

"I think…" Damon says "that you're just worried about seeing your ex again"

My eyes boggle out of my head, I'm beyond shocked; _how can someone be so ignorant and stupid?_

"Look Anna, Anina, whatever your name is. Silas is your problem not ours. We just want the cure, and we're going to get it. A bad love story isn't about to stop us"

Anger, an anger that pulses through every part of my body; down to my fingertips. I've never felt this kind of anger before.

"You're even more of an idiot than you look"

I walk over to Damon slowly, looking him straight in the eyes, I suppress a smirk. There's a clear amount of hesitation and fear

"If you think that I came all this way, spilled my biggest secret, confessed something I've kept buried inside for over a thousand bloody years. If you think I did all that over distaste for my ex boyfriend. How stupid and ignorant can one get?"

He takes a step back

"Make no mistake Damon Salvatore; you'll regret your ignorance. Go and try to continue this stupid quest. _I'll _raise hell on earth before you get anywhere near that cure."

"Is that a threat?" he tries to keep his voice from shaking

"No" I smirk, grabbing him by his neck

Elena screams

"It's a promise" I say, my voice low as I tighten my grip.


	8. Chapter 7

"Stop!" Elena screeches desperately

I continue tightening my grip on Damon's throat. I haven't heard what I want to hear.

"If you let him go"

"Elena no" Stefan says tensely

She continues anyway. Just as I suspected; I smirk.

"We'll consider what you said"

Not enough, I stare intently at the Salvatore. Focusing my energy, he's beginning to turn grey, veins showing.

"No!" She's sobbing.

I let the dead body drop.

Elena runs over to him, she's choking on her sobs, cradling his head in her lap.

I kneel; placing my hand on his chest, focusing my energy once again.

Damon opens his eyes, taking a deep breath. He stares at me, shock and fear written on his face.

"You killed me!"

Elena is frozen in shock, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

I look at her, my eyes hard.

"You'll consider what I said"

I walk back towards Katerina, whose mouth is hanging open

"What the hell was that for?"

I smile

"You're slower than I remember you being"

She scoffs

"Seriously Anna"

"To show them I'm to be taken seriously, to plant fear, it's the quickest way to get things done" I explain. _I thought it was pretty obvious _

"Too bad these idiots are too ignorant to fear" Kol says as he approaches us "we'll need a better plan than that"

I raise my eyebrows at him

"Are you offering your services?"

He looks at me knowingly

"What do you think Annie?"

I feel a pang in my chest, that was his nickname for me. claiming Anna was _"too much work to say"_

I laugh lightly, shaking my head

"I'm surprised you're not angry with me, what with Rebekah and Nik's reactions"

He shrugs

"You had your reasons, and I've walked out on my family multiple times, who am I to judge? And I'm with you when it comes to this cure, I certainly don't want hell on earth"

I nod, grateful that at least I don't have to worry about Kol being mad at me

"He's not the only one with you" I hear the oldest original say

"Elena and her friends don't understand the serious repercussions their actions could cause"

"Neither do our dear brother and sister" Kol adds

Elijah nods

I can't help but smile slightly

"Thank you"

They all give me curious glances

"For what?" They say simultaneously

"For siding with me, you're risking loyalties and friendships. I appreciate that"

Kol smirks, Elijah smiles, and Kat looks like she might throw up

"Cut the cheesy crap Anna" she says "we've got a bunch of idiots to stop"

"Indeed we do" Elijah says quietly "indeed we do"

_What the hell am I going to do?_

I think to myself while lying in the king size bed in one of the Mikaelson's guest rooms.

Elijah had insisted on me and Kat staying here, and Katerina had accepted graciously before I could politely turn it down.

Though secretly, I was happy. This is far better than that stinky motel room. Then something hits me, I haven't fed in 2 days

_No wonder I can't sleep _

There have to be blood bags here somewhere

I silently walk out of the room and make my way downstairs to the kitchen

Only to discover Kol, helping himself to a bag

"Got any more?"

He whirls around, looking shocked for a split second before smirking

"Of course" tossing me a one

"Thanks" I mutter

This is far more awkward than I had comprehended

"So, liking your bedroom?"

I smile at his attempts to strike up a conversation, I know he's still put off about what I really am, and the fact that I could kill him without moving a muscle

"Yeah actually, I am. A lot nicer than that awful motel I was rotting in for a week"

He laughs

"I can only imagine"

We stare at each other, neither one of us knowing what to say

"Well" I say "I should go a try to catch some shut-eye, I'm exhausted"

My voice seems to bring him out of the trance he's in "yeah, yeah you should. See you in the morning Anna"

I smile awkwardly before making my way back to my room

I flop onto the bed with a sigh.

I open the blood bag and drink, it tastes like heaven

I toss the empty bag onto the floor, feeling satisfied

_Satisfied, blood was enough to satisfy me and take my worries away_

I think that's the scariest thing about being a vampire, as long as you have blood you're satisfied. It's like being in love, as long as you have the person you love you're satisfied. It takes away your worries. It inevitably destroys you though, I mean what did I get out of loving Silas? I got an eternity of misery. Bloodlust destroys you in the same way, it tortures you, morphs your thinking, takes away all sense of right and wrong just like love does. I don't see many differences. I already have to deal with one of them for eternity; that's out of my control. But the other one isn't.

_Which is why I'll never fall in love, to love is to destroy_

Hands down the most valuable lesson I've learned in all my years.


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Just wanted to say a quick thank you to:**

**Eby Mikaelson**

**TWD**

**tvdspnislife**

**belladu57**

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**snakebite4**

**for being my first reviewers! Feedback means a lot to me. So thank you c:**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter! **

"_Anina, how you've changed" Silas looks at me with disgust._

_I laugh_

"_You did this to me, I just adapted."_

_He shakes his head_

"_No, you chose this lifestyle to block it out. The heartbreak you felt when you lost me. The love that we had; you yearn for it."_

_I shake in anger_

"_Keep telling yourself that. I hate you. I've hated you since the day I became an immortal. I haven't missed you, you can count on that. And the times I have thought about you, it's been regrets"_

_He laughs _

_It sends a jolt through me, his laugh. His laugh was one of the things I had loved the most about him_

_His laugh is the same, but his eyes aren't _

_The warm brown irises that had once contained happiness and life are gone _

_Now they are just empty, dull brown, and filled with malice. They are dead. _

"_Keep telling yourself that, my love"_

_Suddenly I'm back in the meadow, covered in dirt. _

_The little girl – my first feed, is playing in the tall grass_

_And suddenly he's there, looming over her _

_My heart drops into my stomach when I realize what he's about to do _

"_Don't!" I screech _

_It's too late, Silas dives for her neck_

_I am suddenly frozen in place. _

_I can't move._

_I can't help her._

"_Please!" I screech, my eyes watering "Stop!"_

_But he doesn't. _

_He doesn't stop. _

_He doesn't stop until he's drained her. _

_Tears are streaming down my face, I drop down and sob. _

_I mourn for the girl whose name I didn't even know _

_Anna _

_Anna _

"Anna!"

I jolt upright, my forehead is wet

Kat looks at me in confusion

"What happened? You were talking in your sleep"

I sigh with relief. It was a dream. Just a dream

I shake my head at her

"It was nothing, just a funky dream"

I feel guilty – I'm lying to her. But I sure as hell can't tell her I'm having dreams about Silas. God knows how Kat would react.

She raises her eyebrows at me

"About?"

I smirk

"Bearded ladies and naked men"

She rolls her eyes

"And you tell me _my _sense of humour is horrendous"

I shrug

"That's because it is – there's no harm in stating facts"

"Indeed there isn't, but there is harm in sleeping in until 2pm. get a move on! Kol and Elijah are already at the Gill. We need to discuss our next move"

I groan

"Can't our next move wait a while?"

She laughs

"No, sadly our next move doesn't like being ignored. It's very sensitive"

I laugh

"Have you given it a name too?"

She smirks

"Tell you what, _you _get the honour of naming it if you get out of bed and get ready"

"Oh how tempting. Why don't you give me stickers and candy while you're at it?"

She scoffs

Suddenly I'm being thrown across the room, hitting the far wall.

I get up, letting out an irritated growl

"Fine, I'll meet you at the front of the house in 10 minutes"

She smirks

"Good"

I wash my face with some cool water and toss my hair up into a bun. Pulling on some leggings and a jumper I make my way downstairs.

Kat scans over my outfit, raising her eyebrows

I raise them back

"I don't recall there being a formal dress code"

She shakes her head

"Let's just get going"

We arrive at the Grill and make our way over to the table Kol and Elijah are sitting at.

Kol smirks

"Ah, sleeping beauty finally got out of bed. Who kissed you awake?"

Kat answers before I get a chance

"Bearded ladies and naked men apparently"

Kol and Elijah both exchange confused glances

"Sorry I asked"

He gestures toward a glass of wine in front of the empty seat beside him

"Care for a drink?"

I sigh, I could really use one

Kat swipes the glass away and places it on the empty table next to us

"We can get wasted later"

"Katerina is right" Elijah pipes in "we have important matters to discuss, and it would be helpful if the two of you weren't intoxicated"

Kol and I roll our eyes

"I say we do nothing"

They all look at me like I've lost my mind

"What do you mean do nothing?"

Kat snaps

"A bunch of naïve idiots want to raise the most powerful and ruthless supernatural creature on this planet and you say we do nothing?"

I smile

"What I _mean _is let them make the first move. We should find out what they're planning to do first; and then we should go from there. What's the point of planning something when you don't even know what you're working with?"

"I say we go with the hybrid's plan" Kol says

I glare at him

Kat smirks

"Aw, don't be so mad Anna. I mean, there's no harm in stating facts"

I have nothing to say to that. So I grab the glass of wine off the table Katerina placed it on and down it in one go. The alcohol burns my throat, it's a wonderful feeling.

Elijah gives me a look

I smirk

"Just like Kol said, let's go with the hybrid's plan. And the hybrid's plan is to wait; and get wasted while doing so"

"And why do we need to get wasted?" Kat asks

"Multitasking is good brain exercise"

Kol picks up his glass and downs it

"My brain could use a workout"

I smirk

"Let's hit the gym then"

Elijah shakes his head disapprovingly

"Your senses of humour are horrendous"

"At least they exist" Kol points out

Kat and I look at each other before bursting into giggles

"What's so funny?" Kol asks, looking confused

I shake my head, still laughing

"Nothing"

Kat get's up and looks at me, smiling

"Well, have fun"

"You're not staying?"

She laughs

"I don't think I could stand anymore of your horrendous humour. Besides, Elijah and I have some serious catching up to do"

I shrug

"See you later then"

Katerina and Elijah walk out as Kol and I make our way towards the bar, this would definitely be an interesting evening.


	10. Chapter 9

"Well, funny meeting you two here"

I roll my eyes, Kol and I haven't even been at the bar for five minutes; of course we had to run into the Salvatores.

I scoff

"Yeah, absolutely hilarious"

Damon gives me a look

"Funny how you're the hostile one; you weren't killed now were you?"

I laugh

"I see you're still angry about that"

He looks baffled

"Still? Of course I'm still angry! You killed me!"

"She had good reason to, mate" Kol walks over to us, holding 2 glasses of gin

"Guys, let's not start something. Damon and I just came to talk" Stephen interjects before Damon can respond

"Fine" I say, "then talk"

"Well, thanks to Elena's _close attachment _to Damon; she agreed we'd consider what you said when she thought you would kill him; which you did."

I laugh, "You know, you can say sire bond"

Stefan makes a disgusted face

"But anyways, continue; I'm all ears"

"Like I was saying, we've considered what you've said. And we'd like to know more"

I raise my eyebrows "what more is there to know?"

Damon speaks up before Stefan can answer

"We want your life's story, all the way down to the juicy details"

An involuntary breath catches in my throat; it was hard enough revealing a small chunk of my life. How am I going to reveal everything?

A hand places itself on my shoulder and I jump

Kol is staring at me intently "You don't have to if you don't want to"

"Actually" Damon says "she will, if she ever wants us to consider giving up on the cure. We need to know exactly what her whole over dramatic deal is before we make a decision"

Kol growls "You don't tell her what to do"

Damon smirks "and you don't have to protect her, hell she could kill you and your destructive Brady Bunch without blinking."

Kol takes a step toward them, veins forming under his eyes.

"Kol, don't" I grab his shoulder, holding him back

"Yeah Kol, don't" Damon laughs "It seems me and my brother have_ hit a nerve" _

"Damon that's enough" Stefan says tensely

I smirk

"Yeah Damon, you seem to have forgotten you're having a conversation with an original vampire and a super hybrid. Stefan, you seem more sensible than your brother. And I don't feel like slicing your throat open every time I see you; so meet me at the Mikaelson mansion at 8:00 tonight. Don't bring anyone with you."

I look at the older Salvatore

"Especially not him"

Damon looks baffled "What-

I hold my hand up, cutting him off.

"That's my only offer, take it or leave it"

He looks hesitant, before slowly nodding his head

"8:00 tonight?"

"8:00 tonight"

I let out a sigh as both Salvatore's leave. Now I _really _need a drink; I reach for one of the glasses Kol's holding, only to find him staring at me intently, _strange. _

"What's wrong?"

"You're worried"

I go stiff. I've gotten extremely good at hiding my vulnerability. But sometimes it likes to peak through – before I clam it right back up by laughing or scoffing or snapping someone's neck depending on the circumstances.

This circumstance calls for laughing. So I do, I laugh; even shaking my head light-heartedly to make it seem genuine – though, it's far from it.

"Why would I be worried? I'm the most powerful creature on this planet. I don't have much to fear – to put it quite bluntly"

"Even the most powerful creatures can have inner turmoil. And you're leaking of it"

"You're getting inner turmoil mixed with lack of blood and annoyance"

He laughs, it's a soft sound, yet it still holds something behind it – slyness and experience. It almost sounds, in some weird way _wise. _I have to restrain from giggling; Kol and wise? He's the farthest thing from the word. I really and truly have lost it.

" I've experienced both. Believe me; I know the difference quite well"

"But you don't know me" I say it quietly, not a hint of emotion present in my voice "you don't know me at all"

He narrows his eyes. I know I shouldn't have said it, it was stupid and Kol isn't the one to blame for that fact and I know it. Yet a felt like it was _necessary. _I shake my head. _You're an idiot Anna, you are such an idiot"_

He opens his mouth to speak; his eyes have lost the warmth they had possessed only minutes ago.

_Here it comes _

"And whose fault is that? Yours Anna, not mine. Not mine or Rebekah's or Nik's or Elijah's. _Yours, _you left us. We didn't leave you, Anna. Nor would we have; we were your friends, your _family_"

He turns his back, facing away from me and towards the door

"I'll see you at the house at 8" He says over his shoulder before walking out

"I silently sink back into my chair. Great, Kol's angry with me. Oh well, at least he won't miss me when all this is over and I leave. He would have figured I wouldn't be back for good, wouldn't he? And if he hasn't I guess it'll be a surprise. But it's not like I can stay and try to build a life here. After everything that's happened, after all the bad things I've done. I can't just shack it all away and pretend none of it happened. I can't just move on, I can't. It would be... _wrong. _All the lives I've destroyed, all the people I've killed, all the dreams I've crushed. I don't deserve to be happy. I deserve exactly what I've got. I don't deserve a chance at being Anina again.

I sigh before picking up a glass, forget the drink; I need the whole bar.


	11. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! **

**First off: I'm really really sorry for not updating in forever! I've been so busy with school and life and other things :$**

**Secondly: Yes, I know this update is super short but I promise there'll be a new update tomorrow! **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy! It's a bit of a different chapter since it's written from Stefan's point of view. I thought I would try writing from other character's perspectives. Let me know what you guys think; should I write from multiple points of view or just stick with Anna's perspective on things? **

**- Much love! c:**

"What's wrong with you Stefan? Why would you agree to meet that psychotic hybrid and the Mikaelson family by yourself? Are you out of your mind?"

Elena's pacing around the Salvatore library looking distraught.

_If she keeps pacing like that she's going to make a hole in the floor; _I sigh, she's making a bigger deal out of this meeting than Damon was and that's saying a lot. Of course Damon was angry, so angry he was shaking. But he eventually decided just to head over to the bar and drink away his frustrations.

Unfortunately Elena was having a harder time getting over the situation.

"I'll be fine" I reassure her "Anna said she wanted to talk. And I'm positive that's all she'll do. She's been around for a long time, she probably knows that killing me wouldn't be a smart move" I say wholeheartedly. After being alive for almost 2 centuries you'd think I would have seen it all. But Anna is something completely new. She's cold, distant, and calculating. But she's something else too, she's something more. And that something more goes beyond the coldness in her eyes. She's struggling; it's the same way I was when I had my humanity turned off.

But Anna doesn't have her humanity turned off. And she's not impulsive like the Mikaelsons nor is she as self preserving as Katherine. This only reassures me further. But then something else comes to mind:

"Why do you care so much Elena?"

Suddenly she _finally_ stops pacing and turns around to look at me

"Why would I not care Stefan? You matter to me. If something happened to you-

"You would still have Damon. He's the one you're in love with after all" I know I shouldn't have said that. It's not Elena's fault that she's sired to my brother but I can't help it. As much as I want to push my feelings away and get over everything that happened between us I can't. I'll always love Elena.

Though I don't think she likes me very much at the moment, judging by the appalled look on her face

"I can't believe you just said that"

_I can't believe it either. And I'm sorry, I really am it's just that… I'll always love you Elena. I still love you. And I want you and I can't have you and it's tearing me apart. The looks you used to give me you give to my brother. The love you used to show me you show to Damon and it's killing me. It's killing me slowly and I don't think you realize how much it's affecting me and I how much I just want to hold you and never let go. I just wish, I wish you felt the same way._

As much as I want to tell Elena everything I bite my tongue. Me confessing my feelings would only confuse and stress her out more.

"Elena I-

"Don't" she holds her hand up "Just don't; you know what? You're right. I'm worrying too much. You'll be just fine. I'm sorry for wasting your time by _caring" _

She starts towards the door, stopping suddenly as she's about to turn the knob

"I'm going to the Grill to check on Damon. Have fun with the Mikaelsons tonight"

And with that she's gone. I slump into the closest chair sighing. I was going to have fun alright… loads and loads of it. 


	12. Chapter 11

"What in the bloody hell are you talking about?" Rebekah looks like she's about to strangle me; I wouldn't be surprised if she did.

"I'm already annoyed that you're staying with us and now you'd rather vent to that Salvatore than your closest friends? But then again, I shouldn't be surprised; after all, you did leave us for a selfish, egotistical bitch."

Kat snorts "or maybe she left because you're impulsive, naïve, and majorly lacking when it comes to class"

Rebekah glares daggers at her but doesn't say anything – probably trying to exhibit that she does in fact have class. Rebekah also has a way of holding a grudge. After her crying incident in the woods she's opting to be as cold to me as possible – we're like the Titanic and the ice burg. Thankfully the mansion's so big that we barely have to see each other; though I will admit I've taken detours on multiple occasions to avoid crossing paths with my once closest friend. It's funny to think that Rebekah and I were once as close as close can get. We were practically sisters; sharing secrets and spending every waking moment together.

But that was the past and this is the present.

I clear my throat

"First off, I'm not venting to Stefan; merely telling him my life's story with some added detail. Secondly, it's my choice. And I'm choosing to keep this between me and Stefan Salvatore. So no, none of you will be present during our meeting."

I turn my head to face Rebekah

"And I don't get why you'd want to be there anyways, you're not on my side. You want the cure and you're willing to raise Silas to get it. And I'm not about to let you do that."

A look of hurt flashes across her face

"Maybe I just wanted to know a bit more about the girl I once considered being my best friend; and whether I could ever forgive you."

I sigh shaking my head, Rebekah was always naïve; always under the impression that there was a resolution to everything – one of her major downfalls.

I look her in the eyes, feeling and immense amount of sympathy for her thinking that we could go back to being as we were.

"You can't"

She huffs, trying to hide her short shallow breaths. "Well then" her voice shakes slightly as she walks out of the mansion slamming the door behind her.

I'm not saying I feel good about doing that but it was necessary. I'm not staying here. I'm not making Mystic Falls home. So why would I put them under the impression that I am? So they're more hurt?

My thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the door

"We're back" Kol and Elijah are standing in the doorway with Stefan between the two of them

I smile

"Right on time"

Stefan looks up at me

"Look, I appreciate you sending me a driver and a chaperone but it really wasn't necessary"

"You're right, it wasn't necessary for you. It was necessary for me" I explain "I had to make sure you weren't being followed by any of your friends"

He holds his hands up "I've got no problem with it"

"Good" I say before turning on my heel and heading towards my bedroom

After hearing no footsteps following me I look over my shoulder "Coming?" I ask

My voice seems to wake the 3 of them up as they start to follow me

"Not" I point towards the 2 Original vampires "you, I was talking about Stefan"

They both share looks of confusion, "wait…" Kol starts "you're meaning to tell us that we're not going to be present during the meeting?"

I smirk

"That's exactly what I'm telling you"

Now its Kol's turn to look like he's about to strangle me.

"So me and Elijah just went out of our way to retrieve Stefan only to have you slam a door in our face? We don't even get to hear more about your life?"

Forget strangling, Kol looks like he's about to snap my neck. I admire his restraint though; I can tell he's struggling to keep control.

I look at him evenly

"That's pretty much it. There's a reason I've kept my past so private. And one Salvatore is less than 3 Mikaelsons"

"Don't you mean 4, love?"

I whip my head towards the hallway; Nik is striding up from his room dressed in a suit and tie.

I raise my eyebrows "What's the occasion?"

He shrugs "meeting someone to discuss some business"

I narrow my eyes at him before noticing the bulge in one of his pockets – a box, I focus a bit more and I hear it: A slight jingle. I smirk as my mind puts the pieces of the puzzle together.

"That's interesting, how many business partners do you give necklaces to Nik? Or is that reserved for a certain someone; Caroline Forbes maybe?"

He smirks as a faint blush takes over his cheeks.

"That would be correct; Caroline has agreed to go to dinner with me."

I hear Kol snort

"Good on you big brother; I can't wait to see how long she lasts before you drive her away with your _charm_"

I roll my eyes; Kol has to make a cruel joke out of everything. Unfortunately Niklaus doesn't seem to take it as lightly and before I know what's happening they're fighting; smashing each other into walls as Elijah speeds over in an attempt to break things up. _Great Kol, you're fantastic. Agitating your brother after he's finally got a date with someone he seems to be genuinely interested in. _I focus my energy and in a split second Kol is on the floor screaming in pain and clutching his skull.

"Ah! What are you doing? Anna! Anna, stop! Please stop!"

Out of the corner of my eye I see Stefan sneaking off to Rebekah's room. I turn away and Kol collapses on the ground, knocked unconscious. I turn my head towards Nik

"Have fun on your date tonight"

He nods before speeding out of the mansion. I turn and make my way to Rebekah's room while Elijah picks up Kol to go place him on the couch.

"He'll be out for about an hour" I tell Elijah over my shoulder before speeding up the stairs.

I stop abruptly as I reach the door to Rebekah's room before turning the knob slowly. The door creaks as I open it, I cringe but it's too late. Stefan whips around looking shocked.

My jaw drops when I realize what he's holding… An object that I recognize well, an object I've seen so many times before and grown very familiar of.

Silas' headstone.


	13. Chapter 12

_I've always loved dandelions, such misunderstood wonders. They remind me of myself; flourishing while destroying everything around them; beautiful destruction, a handsome looking weed. As a child I used to pick them to bring home and mother would always scold me; telling me they were not real flowers, that they were nothing but pesky yellow weeds. It always puzzled me how something so beautiful, with golden petals like a lion's mane – could be so horrible and cause harm._

_It's been a century since Katerina and I parted ways. It feels like only a week has gone by since I said goodbye to her as she made her journey towards Spain and I set out to go on an adventure of my own. _

_I've realized time goes by much faster when you are an immortal, but whenever I come back to this spot time seems to come to a halt. _

_I make my descent into the dark caves. Most people would be frightened venturing into the dark depths of the underground. But I find this is the only place I ever really feel at peace. The soothing damp air and the splat of water droplets on rocks; I find it strange how I feel so at peace in the tomb of my cursed lover. _

_I stare at Silas' body and feel nothing. There is not anger, no guilt, no sadness, nothing. I feel nothing. It wasn't always like this. The first time I came here I had kneeled in front of his body and sobbed for many hours. I cringe at the thought; I was so weak back then. _

_But I am not weak today; today I haven't come to mourn for the man whom I thought loved me. Today I am here to retrieve the most valuable magical talisman on the planet…_

Stefan is on the floor, the headstone dropped next to him as he writhes around on the floor in pain.

"I'm going to ask you again" my voice is cold and distant "what were you doing with Silas' headstone?"

"AAH!" he yells at the top of his lungs "PLEASE STOP, STOP AND I'LL TELL YOU!"

I turn my head away, releasing him from the pain that was clutching his skull. He gasps, his breath heaving. He can catch it later "Now, I'm going to ask you one more time before I tear you limb from limb, what were you doing with Silas' headstone? And why the hell does Rebekah have it?"

It hasn't changed since I last saw it centuries ago. I decided the safest place for the stone would be in Silas' tomb and it was a pain to lug around everywhere I went.

"Rebekah and I have teamed up. You don't understand how much this cure has divided us. Shane has Bonnie the witch, Elena and Damon have Jeremy the hunter, and me and Rebekah have the tombstone as our leverage" Stefan looks tired, for a moment I feel bad for him – only a brief moment though.

"Well, now you have nothing; other than a major grudge held against you by a witch-vampire hybrid". Anger further builds inside me. Rebekah wanted to see if she could forgive me? _Well you certainly can't. _

"Get out" I say, my voice deathly quiet "You were never going to listen to what I had to say, and now you'll never get the opportunity. We could have ended this conflict on decent terms Stefan. But I'm done playing nice. I will make all your lives a living hell. And your friends can thank you for their suffering. Now leave"

He speeds away without speaking. I pick up the headstone and begin taking it to my room before stopping. Hiding it in my room is too obvious, that's the first place anyone would look. I think for a second, then an idea hits me, and I zoom out of the Mikaelson mansion towards the woods.

It takes me about a minute to reach my destination, the destination that this nut job of a town is named after; the falls. I stare at the headstone before looking back at the rocks surrounding the waterfall and smile, they look identical; the headstone will blend right in. I spend about ten minutes scaling the vast amounts of rock surrounding the area before deciding on a gap between two big and very jagged looking rocks – not desirable for a human or animal to stand on. I quickly place a linking spell on the headstone so I'll know if someone moves it and to make it easier to find when I come back to get it when I need it; before jamming it into the gap.

I stand back to admire my work and I can't help but smirk at my stroke of genius. The headstone fits perfectly. The perfect hiding spot, why had I not thought of it before?


	14. Chapter 13

I decide to walk back to the mansion; speeding over there will only mean I'll have to face the wrath of the Kol monster sooner. I know defending Niklaus may not have been something I should have done; I mean, considering him not being on my side and everything. But I have this bad habit of feeling pity, it's the strongest emotion I possessed as a human; and, as an immortal, it's only heightened. I've learned to suppress it 99 percent of the time – having the cold-blooded monster reputation to uphold, but it was Niklaus, Niklaus who cared for me so deeply, who'd even been in love with me.

Yes, Niklaus Mikaelson, the powerful hybrid had been in love with me. It started off as a close friendship, and, it eventually progressed into something more. But that was before I disappeared and broke his heart.

There's nothing between us any more of course, but he's finally found someone. Someone he cares about in the same way he cared about me. Granted, I never saw him falling for a preppy, jumpy, premature 18 year old vampire; but love is love.

Unfortunately Kol isn't about to understand my good intentions. He's just going to want to kill me; not that he can of course, but he'll want to. And wants can sometimes b e more powerful than capabilities.

I've been standing at the gate of the mansion for about 5 minutes now, considering whether I should just jump up into my bedroom through the window and pretend that I can hide from Kol forever. That, of course, would mean I'd be facing an even angrier vampire the next morning. You see, unlike most people, Kol doesn't cool down with time; he just keeps burning brighter and brighter, getting hotter and hotter until he inevitably explodes like a volcano.

So I opt to go and face the music. I open the gate and walk up towards the mansion. I can hear things being tossed and turned on the second floor – probably Rebekah, searching desperately for the tombstone. The thought puts a small smile on my face _outsmarted by the hybrid_. I finally reach the door and turn the gold handle while rolling my eyes _only Niklaus would opt for a gold handle, it's just over extravagant enough_. As I open the door I sigh. Just the sight I was expecting, Kol standing in the front doorway with his arms crossed looking like a Mafioso.

I shut the door behind me and take a few steps inside, my heels quietly clicking on the marble floor. Kol is still staring at me with no expression; clearly he's expecting me to speak first. I opt to oblige "Well, I'd just like to say, you woke up surprisingly early. That usually knocks people out for an hour, and you're up in" I stare at the time on my phone before internally groaning at my miscalculation "and hour and 5 minutes".

And, like I expected I'm being slammed into a wall, "actually, an hour, four minutes, and thirty seconds. Thank you, by the way, for knocking me out to defend someone who's against you. I appreciate it. See you never Anna". He speeds out of the mansion, just like that, he's gone. He's gone and out of the plan and out of my life for good, so much for rekindling. I stand there, numbed by the sudden loss. _I've lost Kol. I've lost him and he'll never speak to me again. Is this all I'm good for? Losing people? _I laugh silently. And they all wonder why I left. It doesn't matter. It didn't matter if I'd left then or 5 minutes ago. I would have lost them eventually. I know I act like I don't care, I know I show people I don't care. But the truth is I do, I do care. I care so much it hurts. But I don't let myself, why would I? I've done so many horrible things. I've already hurt them so much, how could I turn around and just start caring? How do you care for someone? How do you let someone in? The only reason it works with Kat is because she doesn't expect me to care. She doesn't expect me to put myself before her. It works with her because our versions of caring are similarly twisted. I'm twisted. I've become twisted. I'm more twisted than a twizzler.

That's why I can never care. It's hard to straighten something that's been so bent and meddled with over the years.

I sigh silently before making my way to my room. It's only when the door is locked and the sage is burning, that I let the first tears fall.


	15. Chapter 14

I make my way back to the mansion. I have to say my date with Caroline went well, so well she's agreed to go on a second. I should be thrilled, considering I've pursued her for over a year and things finally seem to be working in my favour.

Everything except Anna. I can't stop thinking about her.

Even during my date with Caroline, she crossed my mind a couple hundred times.

_FLASHBACK_

_I never thought I would fall in love. The feeling is quite strange. I have this unprecedented desire to be close to Anna. When she's there everything else goes blurry and it's her and only her. When she looks at me my stomach feels like it's doing somersaults and my heart almost feels like it's beating. No one has ever made me feel that kind of nervous energy before. And I'm feeling an exceptional amount of it tonight as the servants clear away our plates and the guests make their way out of the dining hall. _

_Tonight, tonight I'm going to ask her. I'm going to ask Anna if I may have the honour of being her suitor._

_A hand brushes my shoulder, I jump. I look up to see Anna giving me a quizzical look "Are you alright? You've been staring into space all evening. Is something wrong?"_

_I suddenly feel my cheeks flushing with embarrassment "No um, I'm fine, I, um, was actually just about to ask you if you if we could talk?". _

_She laughs "Is that not what we're doing at the moment?"._

_I stand up and take her hand before pointing towards the back exit leading out into the garden "actually um, I was hoping we could talk someplace more private? I want to ask you something important"._

_She looks surprised for a moment, before nodding her head "of course"._

_I lead Anna out, the garden has always been my favourite place in the castle. Not because of its beauty, not even because of the sense of calm and peace I get when I'm there. I love it solely because no one else cares for it. Elijah prefers the library, Rebekah enjoys spending time on the terrace, and Kol enjoys spending time in his chamber with mass amounts of women. It almost always ensures I get the place all to myself. _

_We sit down on some flat rocks and, reluctantly, I let go of Anna's hand._

_"How come you've never brought me out here before?" she asks "It's beautiful"_

_"I um, well, I didn't know if you'd like it"_

_She smiles "I love it"_

_She loves it, we're off to a good start. _

_"So" she asks "what was it you wanted to ask me that was so extremely important?"._

_I suddenly realize I never really thought about how I was going to ask her _

_"Yes, well, um. Anna"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Um, as you know, you've been um, living with us for almost a year now"_

_"Yes, I'm aware. Is this your way of telling me you'd like me to leave?"_

_"No! No, not at all. I want you to stay"_

_She laughs "well, I was not planning on leaving anytime soon"_

_"I would hope not, because then I um, then I wouldn't be able to ask you if you'd allow me to be your suitor?"_

_She looks shocked. Shocked isn't good, I didn't want her to be shocked. Shouldn't she be smiling or something? What do women do when someone asks them to be their suitor? I wouldn't know, I've never asked a women before. How on earth do humans handle being in love? It's awfully confusing. _

_"You don't seem too happy. I'm guessing your answer is no?" I try to hide the disappointment in my voice._

_"No!" she says quickly "No, Niklaus I'm not saying no. I am just surprised is all. I didn't think you fancied me, I mean um, you just don't seem like the type to fancy someone..."_

_"Anna, do you fancy me or not?" I ask gently_

_She looks at me, smiling "Yes Niklaus Mikaelson, I fancy you"_

_I refrain from jumping up and down, instead, I grin "so, will you allow me to be your suitor?" _

_"Yes, yes I will"_

_I give her a peck on the cheek before taking hold of her hand, we both stand up and make our way inside. _

_"So" I say "I'm guessing we should let them know tomorrow? When all the guests are gone and my siblings aren't drunk" _

_She laughs softly "Yes, that'd probably be best"_

I smile at the memory. So much has changed since I asked Anna that question so many centuries ago. Anna has changed. She's still as beautiful as she was the day I first met her. Her blue eyes still piercing, her complexion still radiant. But despite her not changing physically, personality wise, the centuries have hardened her. She's more cold, more distant, and more fierce.

But then again, so am I.

And for a moment, I'm not worried about her being more powerful than me, I'm not worried about the fact she's hell-bent on making sure the cure isn't found.

All I'm worried about is that I may be falling for her all over again.


	16. Chapter 15

I lie on my back staring at the plain white ceiling, my eyes dry. The sage stopped burning half an hour ago. And an hour and a half ago I'd been crying for 2 hours and finally stopped.  
So for the past half hour I've just been lying on my bed, staring at the plain white ceiling. My eyes so dry they can no longer produce tears.  
The sudden sound of the mansion door opening makes me jump. It's 4 o'clock in the morning, who on earth could be coming home at this hour? Kat, Elijah, and Rebekah turned into their rooms hours ago and Kol is gone, that leaves Niklaus.  
I let out a small laugh as I shake my head. I guess his date went pretty good.  
I hear a swish and suddenly my bedroom door is open, and Niklaus is standing there looking rabid "Who's here with you?". I furrow my eyebrows, staring up at him in  
confusion.  
"Nik, it's 4 in the morning, who the hell would be in my room at 4 in the morning? Unless I was..." a sudden realization and agitation hit me "Unless I was sleeping  
with someone. Really Nik? You hear me laughing and you assume I'm rolling around in bed with some random guy? And even if I was, why would it be any of your business?"  
"In my defence" he states "It sounded a lot like erotic giggling"  
Before I can stop myself, I'm laughing uncontrollably.  
"Nik, please, never ever refer to something sounding like 'erotic giggling' ever again. And what about you? You left a while ago, and I don't recall dates being that  
long. But then again, I've been out of the dating scene, either that, or you got very lucky, probably in which erotic giggling was involved".  
He laughs before shaking his head "No, I didn't. I just spent a couple of hours walking around aimlessly thinking about stuff"  
"Really? Since when did Niklaus Mikaelson become such a philosopher? What were you thinking about?"  
He shrugs, "just stuff, nothing specific, random garbage really. I just didn't feel like going to bed and I didn't happen to come across a snack that met my standards"  
"Sounds like a fun evening"  
"Oh yes, absolutely. What about you?"  
"Nothing really, Kol was angry when he woke up, he left"  
Nik laughs while shaking his head "He's being an immature baby. He'll come back around in a couple of days".  
I nod my head "You're probably right"  
"I'm always right"  
"Don't ruin the moment Doggy"  
He walks up to the edge of my bed and sits down, making me jump slightly. He looks at me evenly "don't call me that and I won't".  
I smile, "deal".  
"So..." he starts "it doesn't look like you have any plans of going to bed and I'm still not in the mood to hit the hay. Would you like to take a walk?"  
I sigh, "I'm really not in the mood to leave my bed right now"  
A look of disappointment and hurt flash across his face "Oh, well, I guess I should leave then"  
"Wait, Nik-" I reach out and grab his hand in mine "We could just sit and talk here"  
He looks up at me with his bright blue eyes. There's so much intensity in them that I almost let go of his hand. "No, I don't think so" his voice is cold and distant  
"You should get some rest, it's 4 o'clock in the morning".  
"I thought you said it didn't seem like I had plans to sleep and neither do you" I interject  
"Hence the reason I asked you to go for a walk" he says "and you denied, and it's just another way in which you prove how much you've changed"  
I scoff "Coming from you? Really Nik?"  
"Don't turn the tables sweetheart. The Anna that I knew showed interest in things. The Anna I knew liked doing things. This Anna, she's dead."  
"Well" I say, my eyes flashing with anger "This Anna isn't courting with you. This Anna is trying to stop you and all the other idiots in this town from raising something that'll cause hell on earth!"  
He scoffs "I hope you haven't forgotten that thing happens to be your ex boyfriend"  
"Oh, I remember, don't fret."  
He throws up his hands while getting up from my bed and making his way towards the door "All I'm saying is you've changed".  
"Yes Nik, I have changed. But so have my circumstances. And I'm dealing with them. And I don't care what you think of me; or who you remember me to be. I'm not that girl anymore. Nor will I ever be. So stop, stop trying to bring her back. Stop asking me to go on walks with you and talk. Because she's gone. You can't bring a dead flower back to life Nik. It doesn't work like that".  
He nods stiffly before leaving.  
_What are you doing? Why are you pushing everyone away? Why are you breaking the bridges people are extending out to you?"_  
I sigh before lying down and closing my eyes.  
I don't know.


	17. Chapter 16

_"Anina, my sweet, lovely Anina" I giggle as he grabs me by my waist and tugs me down onto the grass. "Silas! Stop! You'll ruin my new gown" I try to sound serious, but I can't stop laughing. He looks at me lovingly, his brown eyes warm and full of life. When I look into his eyes I'm reminded why I fell in love with him in the first place. I had known Silas my whole life, he helped me through many trials the spirits put me through. From my parents passing away to my brother running off with a harlot. Silas had become my family. I owed him more than I could ever give, he saved me. "but my love, things are meant to be ruined" I furrow my brows in confusion "what on earth are you talking about my love?" And suddenly, the man who I love is gone. The warm brown irises become cold and fierce, darkening with a sort of lust. Suddenly his hands are on my throat. His voice menacing, "I'm talking about this". Before I can reply, his face changes. Veins form under his eyes and his teeth become sharp fangs. A scream dies in my throat as the fangs pierce my neck._

A bright white light, there's a bright white light. And then I'm gone.

I jolt awake, panting and sweating, I reach for the blood bag on my nightstand and drink. The blood doesn't do much to calm me down. But that makes no difference, I've gotten used to the restlessness that is my slumber. I have nightmares about Silas all the time. It's disturbing that he taints my thoughts more in death than he did in life. There have been very few nights in my over 2000 years of existence where I've gotten a good night's sleep and not dreamt about him.

But out of all the nightmares I have, this one may be the one I hate the most. Most of the time my nightmares consist of my ex boyfriend telling me that I'm not good enough and that I've changed for the worst and that I'm a horrible creature; reminding me of the people I've killed, the chaos I've caused, the evil that I've brought to this world and how it would be better off without me in it.

Those are horrible as well, don't get me wrong. But what makes this one so horrible, is that it starts off with one of the best moments I had as a human. Of course it never gets to the point where Silas tells me how much he loves me and asks for my hand - my nightmares like to cut that part out.

But until things start going wrong I'm happy and content. I feel safe and secure. I feel at peace, something I haven't felt since I became immortal. And when I realize what the reality of the situation is, when Silas becomes what he really is now, it hurts more than anything in the world.

I came to the realization many years ago after having this exact nightmare that I'll never be able to love anybody the way I loved Silas, ever again. Not just because I was human when I loved him, but because there's still a part of me that does love him. There's still the part of me that screams out his name when I'm having these nightmares. There's still apart of me that sobs into my pillow when I'm feeling especially lost and hopeless, begging him to come back to me.

After my parents died and my brother abandoned me, I felt the same way I've felt since the day I became immortal - lost. I had lost purpose, and a will to live. How do you live when there's nothing to live for?  
But then Silas came along, he gave me purpose. He gave me a reason to live. A reason to love life, a reason to get up in the morning.

Silas saved me.

_Once._

He won't do it again. I have to find my purpose.

What is my purpose?

Finding the cure?

Keeping it away from all the idiots in Mystic Falls who want it?

But then what?

I shake my head before getting out of bed. All this thinking is making my head hurt royally. I toss on some jeans and a t-shirt before making my way downstairs. "Kat? Katerina Petrova? Anybody home?" she's probably hanging out with Elijah. Those two have spent a lot of time together lately. I make a mental note to ask Kat about where her relationship with Elijah stands.

I decide to take a walk in the woods. Back when I was human they used to be my favourite place. I remember I would sneak out of our hut while my mother was sleeping and just walk around aimlessly among the trees until dawn.

Of course, the trees in BC were a lot different from what we have now. But you've gotta work with what you've got. I drive up to the edge of the woods before parking my car and starting my trek.

I pass by the spot where, less than two weeks ago, I came clean about what I really am to people who thought they could trust me to be honest with them.

Unfortunately honesty has never been my number one policy.

But then again, being honest hasn't done me a ton of good. And I don't owe anyone my honesty, so why bother? Lying is easier, and killing is the easiest way out of a situation. It gets a little messy sometimes, but I can handle it. Considering I started my life as an immortal buried in dirt.

A rustling nearby interrupts my thoughts. I stop walking and focus, I hear it again. I catch a bush out of the corner of my eye moving slightly. Before another second can pass by I zoom over and throw peeping Tom out of his clever hiding spot.

"Now, what exactly do you think you're doing following me?" I watch as he struggles to stand, groaning

"Woah, easy princess. I heared rumours back in the day that you like to play it rough; I just hadn't anticipated how true they might be. You hate me that much huh?" A familiar British accent says.

Kol.

Devious brown eyes, messy brown hair, and the signature smirk.

Oh Lord it's Kol.

I just tossed Kol around like a rag doll.

And for once I don't feel good about it.

"Oh my God Kol, I..."

He holds his hand up to silence me. "No need to apologize love, I like women who play it a little rough". I snort, my sympathy gone as quickly as it came "that was me being gentle, you pansy"

"Well darling, I don't enjoy bringing it up too often because it's a serious blow to my ego but; you're a half-witch-half-vamp-super-hybrid. So you are quite a bit stronger than I am"

I laugh "Do I make you feel weak ?"

Suddenly he's right in front of me, our faces a couple of inches apart. "A little" he whispers softly. It's quite odd, I've never noticed the cute wrinkles on the side of Kol's face when he smiles, or the_ intensity of his brown eyes. Silas had the most brilliant brown eyes._ Or that I'm finding it quite difficult to stay focused as all I can think about is the closeness of me and Kol Mikaelson and how if we were human our breaths would be intermingling and if we had body heat we'd both be quite hot at the moment.

At least I would.

His voice breaks my thoughts "but for the most part, no." he laughs before pulling back. "Though, the night that I left you did make me feel weak. Hence my slightly dramatic exit." I widen my eyes in disbelief "slightly? It was something out of a soap opera"

"Well, I've always been one for dramatics"

I smile "That you have. Kol Mikaeldrama"

"That was an absolutely horrendous joke, even by your standards"

I smirk "I learned from the best"

He smiles "That you did" "So.." he continues "What's the status on the race for the cure?"

"Dead" I sigh "It's just been dead. No movement. So much for 'waiting for them to make the first move and going from there plan'".

"We'll work something out"

"I hope so, now, why don't we get back to the mansion?"

"Um, you go on ahead, I'll be there later tonight. There's something I have to take care of first"

I furrow my brows, what would Kol need to take care of? But I don't pry, it's clearly none of my business "alright well, see you later tonight then"

My phone rings and I jump slightly

**KAT IS CALLING **

"Or maybe not"

Now it's Kol's turn to furrow his brows "why, who is it?"

"It's Kat. Listen, if she's got any news and we're meeting somewhere I'll text you details alright?"

He nods "yeah, see you later Anna"

"B-

Before I can get the word out he speeds off. Where the hell is he going?

"Yeah?" I say as I finally pick up the phone

"Oh yay! You decide to answer. I mean it only took 5 rings but-

I cut her off before she can continue

"Kat, did you find anything out?"

"Oh, no, it's fine. Just keep interrupting me" she mutters

"Kat..." I'm getting impatient "Did you find out anything relevant?"

"Ok ok, yes, yes we did. Meet me and Elijah at the Grill in 5"

"Yeah I'll see you"

I hang up and zoom over there, bursting through the doors, scanning the restaurant until I see Kat and Elijah taking a seat in a booth nearby

I quickly text Kol the details:

_**We're at the Grill, meet us here whenever you're done with whatever it is you're doing.**_

Kat raises her eyebrows "you got here fast Usain Bolt"

"Uh huh, what did you guys find out?"

"Who were you texting?" Kat smirks before singing "someone's got a boyfriend!" I roll my eyes "actually, I was texting Kol. He's back in town and he's meeting us here in a bit. Now hurry up and tell me what you found out before I gouge your eyeballs out"

"That's aggressive" Elijah comments "and my brother is back in town?"

"No, that was gentle. I'll start getting aggressive if you guys don't hurry up and spill the beans. And yes, Elijah he is. Do I have to say it again in order for you to believe me? " I'm getting more and more frustrated.

Kat laughs "I love winding you up. But anyways, me and Elijah were having coffee at the little café outside the university and get this; we see Bonnie Bennet walking in looking all anxious. So I follow her and she goes into some professor's office, goes by the name Shane. Big magic fanatic from what I heared while eavesdropping. And wait, it gets better, he's apparently studied Silas and Qetsiyah extensively. Had some information about a ritual he was telling Bonnie. But I didn't actually get to hear any of it because the witch-bitch started burning sage making the conversation impossible to hear."

"Shane..." I put my fingers on my temples, thinking hard "that name sounds familiar... where have I-

The night in the woods.

"That's it!" I smile to myself

"Where have you heared of him from Anna?" Elijah looks confused

"Bonnie mentioned him that night in the woods"

Finally, we have somewhere to start.

"I'm here!" Kol shouts as he waltzes towards our booth "What's up?"

I get up, grabbing my bag and coat

"We've got a witch to stalk".


	18. Chapter 17

"This is getting ridiculous" I roll my eyes, we've been standing outside Professor Shane's office for an hour with an invisibilty charm around us and Kol has felt the need to call this ordeal ridiculous every 5 minutes. "Oh yeah, you know what they say, just keep saying the same thing over and over again until someone wants to rip your testicles out". He looks at me for a second before furrowing his eyebrows "I was in a coffin with a dagger in my heart up until recently, people say that?"

I let out a chuckle "You're still as gullible as you were 600 years ago", he sends me a glare "I'm also still as sensitive" I smirk "clearly". Our conversation is interrupted by the sound of footsteps, suddenly the Bennet witch appears, _finally_. Kol taps me on the shoulder and starts making a fast up and down motion with his hand on top of his chest, I focus hard on Bonnie's heartbeat before nodding in agreement, it is strangely fast, as if she's panicked.

Me and Kol follow her as she makes her way into Shane's office. And then I see this professor Shane, and my stomach drops.

The curly brown hair.

The dark brown eyes.

The deceptively warm smile.

He looks excatly like Silas.

He is Silas.

I get rid of the charm and lunge.

I feel Kol trying to grab me screaming bloody hell.

I hear Bonnie screaming.

But I don't care.

All I see is him.

I grab him.

And everything goes black.


	19. Chapter 18

The cotton of his shirt feels soft under my fingers, we enter a whirlwind and I feel the energy draining from my body before we finally hit the forest floor.

I haven't used a teleportation spell in over 2 centuries. The last time I did I fainted. I don't really know why I didn't pass out this time, maybe it's the rage and confusion seething in me, demanding me to stay upright.

But regardless of that, I feel slightly dizzy.

But I'm too enraged to care.

But Shane's expression is unreadable. He certainly doesn't look as if he was just grabbed by the collar and teleported miles from his office. He could have been in front of a vending machine purchasing over priced Doritos and his expression would have been acceptable.

Even his voice is calm as he says "I was told I'd be expecting you"

I give him a hard look "I don't care, what I want to know is how the hell did you get out of that tomb? The only other people who know of your existence are the people in this town and I know for a fact they haven't gotten anywhere near your body. So how on earth are you here?"

Shane gives me a defiant smirk, as if I'm some young girl not in on a private joke. And if there's one thing I hate, it's being belittled. So, before I know what I'm doing my hand is snaked around his throat "Now, let's not forget who has the power here 'professor' this pathetic mortal form you're in makes me stronger than you. So why don't you wipe that smirk off your face and start giving me some answers!"

To my shock, he laughs "And you think you have the power? I hate being the one to tell you, but clearly he does. After all these years, Silas still controls you. You still fear him. You still despise him. Your actions are driven by his influence - don't try and tell me you're not in this god forsaken town because of him. And here's the best part, a part of you still loves him. A part of you still can't let him go. Not even you realize the hold he has on you. Even calcified in a tomb, he rules your mind. Dominates your conscience. Disturbs your dreams".

I'm too stunned to speak. The nerve to utter such absurdities. Lies, they're all lies.

They have to be lies

My grip on his throat tightens.

"Stop turning the tables and referring to yourself in the third person, and answer my question: How did you get out of your tomb?"

Shane looks at me smiling "he didn't"

"Bullshit"

"Oh, most definitely not. I'm telling you the truth, I'm not Silas"

My eyes narrow

"And yet you look exactly like him. Gee, that's just such a coincidence"

"A coincidence? No." he looks at me, his eyes widening, bright, burning with a strange passion that you sometimes see in the eyes of religious people when they talk about their higher power. "Genius? Yes."

Genius? That's not what I was expecting. My eyes narrow with curiosity.

"What genius would that be?"

"When Silas was trapped inside his tomb - before he began to calcify, he came up with a plan. A plan to free himself. He created a doppelgänger"

I scoff "Making a doppelgänger requires immensely difficult magics. Not even I can do it - and I can do practically anything when it comes to magic".

The creation of a doppelgänger is one of the most legendary magical phenomena. It requires the splitting of a person's aura - they're basically split in half. That's why most doppelgängers are evil versions of the original person - it's much easier to split the good and the bad within someone. Few witches and warlocks have successfully been able to split a person perfectly down the middle. If a doppelgänger has children, the magical gene gets passed down - meaning you get random doppelgängers popping up every couple of generations; such as Kat and Elena.

"Not only that... I continue

"But it requires the drawing of a huge amount of power - from the earth, nature, people etc. How on earth was Silas able to draw that kind of power locked underground with no access to any of those things?"

Shane smiled

"I think you're forgetting, Silas was a brilliant warlock. One of - if not, the best in magical history. And I think you've forgotten some things about magic Anina -

"Don't call me that" I cut in

"Anna" he corrects himself, "I apologize. But clearly, you're forgetting that a witch or warlock can also draw power from emotional connections they have with other people".

"Yeah, I know" I say "But it's extremely difficult and takes a huge toll on the person they're drawing from. Which is why no one ever does it any more. It's practically unheared of. So unheared of the concept isn't even acknowledged in newer grimoires".

Shane shakes his head and sighs conceitedly "You still haven't figured it out"

"What have I not figured out?" My voice comes out more frustrated than I wanted it to, but I can't help it. I'm tired of playing games, I just want answers.

"Oh, for crying out loud! He draws power from you Anna! That's how I know you still love him. If you didn't, he wouldn't be able to get power from you. Those nightmares? The fact that he constantly crosses your mind? He draws from that. He draws from the mental hold he has on you" He laughs mockingly "And you've been too ignorant to realize it".

I stare open-mouthed. The shock hits me like a ton of bricks. This whole time, I thought I'd been strong. The most powerful creature on earth. I thought I was fearless, indestructible. Untouchable.

But I'm not.

Silas is able to penetrate all those walls.

He can hurt me on levels far beyond the physical.

He can hurt me mentally.

He has hurt me mentally.

He's been hurting me mentally for over a thousand years.

Tormenting me.

Haunting me.

Drawing power from me.

And I've been oblivious.

I've been an idiot.

I swallow, regaining my composure as best I can before asking - trying my hardest to keep my voice from shaking "what did he do after he made a doppelgänger?"

Shane continues the story, not before chuckling at the sorry state I'm in.

"After the doppelgänger was made, Silas instructed him to go out into the world and start a family. He used a transferring spell to get the doppelgänger out of the tomb. That was the beginning of the Avda doppelgängers".

I rolled my eyes. Avda is Aramaic for servant or worshipper. Despite the fact these doppelgängers were a part of him, he considered them his servants and followers and not his equals.

"So let me guess... you're an Avda doppelgänger?"

Shane smiles "I'm proud to say Anna, that I am"


	20. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! I just wanted to thank anyone who's reviewed, followed, or added this story to their favourites! It really does mean a lot and feel free to leave me suggestions and constructive criticism! I know I haven't been the most consistent with uploads but things have been super hectic as I'm moving out of country for a year and I leave next month. But don't worry! Chapters will still be going up and I'm going to try and upload more consistently.**

**And thanks again, for reading :) **

I take a seat on a nearby rock, a lot has happened today and I'm starting to feel the toll all these revelations are taking on me. It's only further confusing me about the feelings I have for Silas.

"Okay..." I start "If Silas used a transferring spell to get the doppelgänger out of there, why didn't he just use that spell to get himself out? Why bother with this grand doppelgänger scheme to eventually get free from the tomb thousands of years later?"

Shane shakes his head, "Isn't that obvious?"

I think for a second, Qetsiyah was articulate when she came up with schemes. She wasn't someone who missed or left something to chance.

"She had magical barriers outside the tomb" I say "they prevented Silas from using magic to escape. But if the doppelgänger was a part of him, how come the magic didn't stop him from getting out?"

"It would have" Shane said "But Silas had drawn an exceptional amount of power from you that day..." I shiver involuntarily, the fact that Silas has drawn power from me for all these years is still extremely unnerving.

Shane doesn't seem to notice, as he continues "He used the power to create a hole in the barrier just long enough to get the doppelgänger out. It took a lot of his strength, so much that he was out cold for 3 days after".

I can't help but feel a surge of satisfaction imagining Silas weak like that. But I only allow myself to gloat for a moment; I still have questions.

"Okay, so what was Silas' grand scheme to get himself out? And why doppelgängers?"  
Shane grins wildly - as if he's just gotten to the best part of the story. "Before Silas let the doppelgänger out of the tomb, he used magic to add an addition to his blood. A magic that would pass down for a thousands of years until a chosen one was born. Someone who was the embodiment of Silas. Someone with the same charm that would lead their idol to greatness. Someone who would be drawn to his prison by a tragedy".

I groan "And let me guess? You were the victim of a horrible tragedy?"

He nods, and just for a moment, I see true pain in his eyes as he says "My wife and son were killed in a car accident".

And just for a moment, I feel sorry for him.

"So, you're wife and son die, and you just get drawn to a random island?"

He shakes his head "I just felt this force pulling me toward it. A voice in my head was telling me exactly how to get there and what I would do when I actually reached the tomb. And then I saw my wife. She told me this was the reward of the chosen one. They would get back what they lost and gain much more than they could imagine".

His eyes glaze over and he sounds wistful as he says it.

I shake my head, sighing, I've gotten over feeling sorry for him.

All I feel is pity.

Shane isn't a threat.

He's a tool.

A tool under Silas' powerful compulsion.

He's not going to get anything if he's successful in raising Silas. All he'll get is pain, and death.

"Stop" I tell him

He looks at me, surprised

"You have no idea who you're dealing with" I say "Silas is a manipulative sociopath. He's using you to get what he wants. He won't give you your family back. He _can't_ give you your family back. No one can Shane, they're dead. And if you keep going with this suicidal 'chosen one' quest, you'll be dead too"

"No!" he cries, I place a hand on my forehead and sigh, his outburst doesn't startle me; it's what i was expecting to happen "Silas is a great warlock. He can do anything! You're too blinded by your arrogance to see his greatness! I was lost after my family's death. Silas saved me from losing myself. He is my saviour. And I'll stop at nothing to raise him. Nothing!"

With that, he stalks off. I don't try to stop him. I've got all the information I'm going to get. I start heading back to the mansion when I remember.

_**Kol**_

Oh God, I have some explaining to do.

I open the door to the mansion only to be greeted by Kat, Elijah, and Kol staring me down as if I'm some rebellious teenager being caught sneaking back into the house after a night of partying.

Oh, if only it were that simple.

Katerina is the first to speak "Oh hi, Anna! Glad you're home. How was your day? I mean, it must be exhausting teleporting to some unknown location with a random professor and not bothering to tell any of your friends where you are. Even though we've called and texted you non stop for the past six hours!" Her voice is dripping with sarcasm and fury. And somewhere in there, I sense relief. Not matter how much of an act Kat puts on for the rest of the world, I know she really and truly does care about certain people, like me.

I start to smile about her being worried about me, even though she knows I'm a super hybrid and perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I stop myself, this is definitely not the time to bust out a grin.

Instead, I furrow my eyebrows "Six hours? It's been that long?"

Elijah sighs, "It's been 4 and a half, Katerina just enjoys exaggerating"

I smirk, "Like I didn't know that"

My smirk fades into a frown though, when I see the way Kol is looking at me. He's angry obviously, but he also looks like he's... hurt?

"What's got your mood so low?" I ask him "It's not like I went to mars".

He scoffs, "Well, with your tendencies to randomly disappear on people, I wouldn't be surprised if you had gone to a different planet".  
I would have found that funny if it wasn't for the way he'd said it. It wasn't meant to be a joke. He was completely and utterly serious.

I look over at Kat and Elijah, only to see them looking at Kol with a mixture of amusement and sympathy. Sympathy? Clearly I'm missing something, because I really have no idea what's up with him.

"Well" Elijah says, breaking the awkward silence as he looks over at me "I doubt you spent over 4 hours doing small talk with ,especially after you grabbed him in a manner, which Kol described as 'rabid'. Now, when Kol of all people describes an action as rabid you know it must have looked quite bad..."

Kol, apparently out of his weird funk cuts in "Bad? You looked like you went into some kind of weird tunnel-vision trance. Nothing else mattered to you. I've never yelled so much in my life! What the hell happened?"

I sigh "It's a long story"

After telling them the whole story and giving my opinions on Shane's tale, they all sit in silence for a second. _This is probably what I looked like to Shane when he told me all this._

"So..." Katerina starts "You think none of this story is true?"

I shake my head, "I believe the doppelgänger part" I shiver "the resemblance, he looks like Silas' long lost twin or something. What I don't believe, is this whole 'chosen one' crap".

Elijah looks at me thoughtfully "Why? I mean, Silas was exceptionally powerful, what makes this so unbelievable?"

"Simple" I say "You can't _create_ a chosen one. People are chosen by the spirits. They're more powerful than any creature on earth. Call them the Gods of the supernatural world. They choose special people, give them special abilities and such. Silas was powerful, but he definitely wasn't on spirit level. No, Shane was just vulnerable due to the loss of his wife and son. And, I don't think a ton of people have voluntarily studied witchcraft and magics to the extent Shane had before his life was turned upside down by the loss of his family. Silas simply saw an opportunity, and he took it".

They all stare at me in silence.

Kat heaves a sigh, and slumps down onto a nearby chair next to the stairs "something tells me, this makes everything a whole lot more complicated"

"Now, don't get me wrong. I like complicated - it makes things a lot more fun" she says "But this is just getting plain annoying"

I walk over and place a hand on her shoulder "I couldn't agree more Kat, I couldn't agree more".


End file.
